Birkenstock’s Winning Formula for On-Brand Catalog Ads

Hey there

Today, I’m excited to share how Birkenstock, a brand with a legacy dating back to 1774, found the winning formula for creating on-brand catalog ads that delivered impressive results.

Birkenstock had a clear vision for their ads: they wanted to highlight their brand's tradition by prominently featuring their logo at the top of the image, alongside the tagline “German tradition since 1774.” 

They also wanted the product name to be visible on the ad itself. But perhaps most importantly, they wanted to ensure their product images showcased the iconic Birkenstock buckle in clear detail.

However, they ran into some problems: 

1. Adding their logo and tagline according to brand guidelines wasn’t possible with Meta’s standard setup.

2. Their catalog feed wasn’t organized properly—images were out of order, and on Meta, the first image in their catalog was always shown in ads, even when it didn’t showcase the product in the best way. As a result, their ads weren't as on-brand as they wanted, and the performance wasn't meeting their expectations.

3. They wanted to test different creatives, including showing lifestyle images alongside product images, but this wasn’t feasible with Meta’s catalog ad limitations.

That’s where RetainIQ stepped in.

Using our app, Birkenstock first checked and corrected their entire catalog feed. Ensuring that the correct product images were ordered consistently for all their products was a crucial step. 

Once that was sorted, they used the design editor in our app to bring their creative vision to life. They could easily add their logo at the top, incorporate their brand tagline, and display the product name—all while ensuring the beloved Birkenstock buckle was clearly visible in every ad.

One of the key solutions was RetainIQ's smart cropping feature. When adding lifestyle images to their catalog ad creatives, they initially faced an issue where the image was being cropped from the wrong areas.

This led to important elements, like the product or the model, being misaligned. Using RetainIQ’s smart cropping tool, they were able to ensure that the lifestyle image for each product was perfectly cropped for all the products, with the model always remaining at the center of attention.

This attention to detail helped create visually appealing, on-brand ads that aligned with their vision.

The next step? Testing.

Birkenstock didn’t just settle for one version of the creative. With RetainIQ, they were able to test multiple variations of their creatives to find what resonated most with their audience. This included testing different placements of the logo, product images, and even different layouts to see what performed best.

The results were remarkable:

• 44% higher CTR: By showcasing their products in an appealing, on-brand way, more people were interested in engaging with the ad.

• 12% lower CPR: Not only were more people clicking, but the cost to acquire a customer also dropped, meaning their ads became more efficient.

In addition to this, Birkenstock is now consistently showing the right product images in their ads—no more random product angles or mismatched catalog orders. Each ad looks polished, professional, and perfectly aligned with their brand identity.

It’s a perfect example of how enhancing catalog ads can do wonders, not just for aesthetic appeal but also for real business results.

If you’ve been wondering how to improve the performance of your own catalog ads, this could be the solution for you. With RetainIQ, you can easily create on-brand, high-performing ads that speak directly to your audience.

P.S. Birkenstock isn't the only brand seeing results like this—let's see what we can do for your brand!